Five vie for three Boyne City Commission seats

With two incumbents having opted not to run for another term, there will be some …

With two incumbents having opted not to run for another term, there will be some new faces on the Boyne City Commission come fall.

The five candidates running for the seats of Boyne City Commissioners Ron Grunch, Laura Sansom, and Delbert “Gene” Towne are Grunch, Chad Culver, Sally Page, Andy Smith, and Dean Solomon.

The cutoff to run in the November election was Thursday April 25.

The candidates recently responded to a Boyne Area Chamber of Commerce questionnaire on why they are running. Following are their responses:

CHAD CULVER
“I am excited with the opportunity to serve the people of Boyne City,” said Culver. “I have lived in Boyne City for 20 years with two children going through our school system and two more currently in high school and middle school.”
Culver said his main goal is to find a way to help Boyne City’s citizens by supporting your voice as the community continues to grow and evolve.
“After over 20 years in public education, I now own and operate a car wash in town as well as work for Bluegreen Resorts at Boyne Mountain,” he said. “My family and I love Boyne City and want only the best for our beautiful small town and those visiting our city. I would be proud to serve as City Commissioner and am interested in hearing the concerns of residents.”

RON GRUNCH
Grunch has served on the Boyne City Commission for 18 years, including a period as mayor.
“My motivation is to keep the dream alive,” said Grunch. “We have a great team working for you—city staff and management, City Commission, Team Boyne, and the greatest group of volunteers in Northern Michigan.”
He added, “Boyne City has a great business model. And I would like to, God willing, continue as a member.”

SALLY PAGE
“My roots in Northern Michigan date back to 1962, but my permanent move back to the area came in 1987 when my husband and I moved from New Mexico to Harbor Springs and I became office manager for the Emmet County Prosecutor’s Office in Petoskey,” said Page. “I held that position until I retired in 2013. For the last 12 years I have lived in Boyne City.”
She added, “I moved here to be closer to my children, who both lived in Boyne City at that time.”
Page said, at the urging of friends in the community, she decided to run for city commissioner.
“I felt that my years of government experience spanning 40 years would lend itself well to such an undertaking,” Page said. “My goal for Boyne City would be to make it serve all its citizens, and to involve the entire community, from the youngest to the oldest.”
She added, “I believe that a strong community spirit, including those who have lived here all their lives and those who are relatively new, is vital to that success.”

ANDY SMITH
“I have been living year-round in Northern Michigan for three years, but have been spending portions of my years in Boyne City since 1999,” said Smith. “My career in Northern Michigan began with Boyne Resorts. I currently work for the Round Lake Group, LLC, managing marketing efforts for the Boyne City Taproom, the Lake Charlevoix Brewing Company, and the Bridge Street Taproom.”
He added, “I see serving as a commissioner as a great opportunity to get involved in the community and help share my ideas and opinions on how we can all work together to grow the community in sustainable and successful ways.”
Smith said he would like to work with the community to find ways to facilitate sustainable growth.
“Boyne City is not just a beautiful vacation destination, it is an incredible place to call home and offers a multitude of recreational pursuits of wellness,” said Smith. “I will work with the community to further develop these healthy outlets for people—young and old alike.”

DEAN SOLOMON
The recently retired head of the Boyne City MSU Extension Office said, “Since moving to Boyne City 11 years ago, my family and I have grown to love the area—its beauty, friendly people, and can-do attitude. We truly live in a special place. I’m really excited about the possibility of serving on the city commission and helping Boyne City continue to grow and meet our future challenges.”